Originally I had started reading Remembrance as a "down time at work" book, but then I signed up for the Transcend Time Book Blitz and I wanted to read it more. When Michelle herself stated that she would appreciate it if we could review it for the Book Blitz as well, Remembrance moved to a "got to read it now!" book. I read the last 3/4 in two days - if I hadn't already made plans for the weekend, well... I would have been quite the hermit and finished in one.
Remembranceby Michelle Madow
Website | Facebook | TwitterSeries: Transcend Time Saga { 1 }
Publication: July 27, 2011 by Dreamscape Publishing
Genre: Time Travel
Age Group: Young Adult
Get It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.~synopsis provided by Goodreads
Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.
Can somebody please go back in time and yell at my former self for debating about whether to read this book or not? Seriously. I’m not kidding. There’s not much about this book I didn’t like. Madow did a fabulous job creating believable characters, events (for those of you who don’t believe in reincarnation), and imagery. I could picture everything Madow described perfectly, even those intricate details of Lizzie’s dress, mask, and necklace – which OMG I WANT!!!
I took an immediate liking to Lizzie and hatred to Drew, while Chelsea (the best friend) and Jeremy (the boyfriend) fell somewhere in the middle between the two. Yes, I hated the love interest! *gasps of horror* Okay, but in my defense, he was being a bit of an a-hole. For good reason, yes, but I won’t spoil that for my dear readers who have yet to dive into this fantastic series.
I thought Lizzie to be a very sweet and innocent character, while everybody else was kind of… well, selfish. With the exception of Hannah, who we saw very little of, but I liked a lot. She tried to fight her feelings for Drew (especially seeing as how she was dating Jeremy and Drew was dating Chelsea, bumbumbum), but something always kept her from moving on from those feelings.
One of the things that really bothered me involved a rather important plot point – that I won’t disclose – but I have to get it off my chest. I’m not angry at Madow, I’m angry at the characters. Where do they get off?! The last time I checked, it was Lizzie’s life, not yours. Some “best friend” you are. Aren’t you automatically supposed to take their side and not the other persons? Oh, she didn’t come to you before hand? Boo-freaking-hoo. She doesn’t need to run her life decisions by you. You are there to support, not to criticize and be the huge bitcha that you’re acting like! Ugh.
Side note, did anybody catch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference in my rant?
Anyway, as you might have guessed this is when Chelsea went from middle ground to complete dislike! Jeremy went to that side too for acting like a total butthead. Luckily, Drew took his moment in the sun and I finally understood where he was coming from. Hooray for being able to root for the main romance!
The ending, however, let me feeling… empty? Unfulfilled? If this had been a standalone novel, the ending would have killed it for me and I would have been very disappointed. Luckily, it’s not. I know some bad stuff is going to go down in Vengeance and (hopefully) it will all be righted in Timeless.
Bottom LineThis book/series is not one to pass up. It made me happy, sad, angry, confused. Madow describes her scenes and characters in such great detail and really allows us to feel like we are there and we become emotionally attached and invested in these characters and their… saga.
